Strangers in a Strange Land
by anywhat
Summary: Tensions run high as Gwen is forced to cope with her new predicament. Will she return sanity intact? Will she return intact at all?
1. In the Beginning

"You don't even know how to use that!" Ben cried in exasperation. Gwen couldn't blame him. Forever Knights taxed even her patience, and today they seemed bent on making even more of a nuisance of themselves than usual. The matter duplicator they had somehow managed to smuggle onto earth stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by various other technologies.

No answer came from Cyrus or any of his knights, but that wasn't unusual. In any event, it probably wouldn't be heard over the sound of plasma rifles and pained British grunts. Gwen's shield was holding firm, but she could feel Kevin getting annoyed at being left out of the action. Kneeling, he absorbed the metal floor of the warehouse and morphed his hands into two giant hammers.

"On three," Gwen quietly told him. Kevin barely nodded.

"Three," Gwen shouted and dropped her shield. They both charged at the knights, Gwen knocking their shots with her mana-covered hands and Kevin simply running through them. Gwen caught of glimpse of Ben as he changed into Big Chill and breathed on a forever knight, freezing him where he stood. She blasted a couple of knights and left the rest to Kevin, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. Grabbing two of their heads, he clapped them together, smiling brutally as their knees buckled and they fell to the ground. The sound of their armor crashing with the metal ground made her teeth rattle.

"You got this?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah," Kevin shouted as he ran toward another group. Gwen smiled at his enthusiasm as she made her way to the matter duplicator. Ben knocked Cyrus back into a wall, hard, and the man crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Help me move this," Ben shouted to Kevin. Her cousin was attempting to drag the duplicator to the large door of the warehouse, but couldn't quite manage as Big Chill. Kevin caught sight of him and ran over, lending his strength to the task. As the two struggled to move the object, Gwen found herself suddenly confronted by Sir Morton, who was wielding a mean-looking mace.

"Not so fast, girlie," he snarled as he swung at Gwen's skull. Gwen crouched beneath the arc and powered her fists in preparation for the blows she hoped to land. Morton saw this and quickly altered his full on assault to a more conservative attack. The two battled back and forth for a few minutes, each battering the other. Then Morton landed a crushing blow to her side, both of them hearing the crunch of bones. Gwen's eyes narrowed with pain. Morton didn't seem to care.

Out of the corner of her eye, Gwen noticed Cyrus picking himself up and scrabbling for his gun.

"Watch out behind you!" Gwen hurriedly called to her cousin and boyfriend, one hand at her ribs to ease the pain of shouting. Kevin looked back just in time to duck under a carefully aimed shot by Cyrus, which should have went straight through his head. As such, it went past him and nearly hit Gwen, striking instead a small control tower behind her and Morton. Gwen wouldn't have thought twice about it if a glowing vortex hadn't appeared immediately behind the tower. She immediately recognized it as a portal from her previous experience, but was prevented from further contemplation by Morton, who was pressing his advantage.

Gwen noticed Kevin leaving Ben to beat on Cyrus while she dodged and struck at Morton. Absorbing the cold steel floor, Kevin neatly dodged under the blast fired by Cyrus before he swung a hard uppercut at Cyrus's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him.

"Perhaps I didn't knock you hard enough last time," Kevin grunted while picking up the winded man by the throat and belt and moving to throw him. As he was turning to gain momentum, a stray blast from one of the lesser knights hit his foot, causing him to let go of Cyrus in surprise. Cyrus flew through the air with the momentum already built up from Kevin's super strength, sailing over Ben and the matter duplicator.

And straight into Gwen and Morton.

The impact knocked the trio into the vortex. Gwen knew the blinding pain from her broken ribs was coming, it was just delayed by her nerves or adrenaline. In the time she had, she noticed the lightning bolts streaking through the walls of the vortex tunnel. She was rather certain that wasn't supposed to happen. Then pain blossoming in her ribs and overtaking her mind stole her conscious and she knew no more.


	2. Location, Location, Location

Gwen listened to the Forever Knights as she waited for the waves of pain to decrease into something manageable.

"Where are we?" Cyrus asked Morton. Gwen dropped a hand over her ribs and began to heal. She felt the oddest sensation of her ribs liquefying, then reforming.

"Heck if I know," Morton replied. At this, Gwen opened her eyes to find out where the portal had taken them.

Surrounding them were low grasses and heather. Gwen could see trees in the distance, tall and almost menacing. Everything looked like a muted color of what it could be, greens slightly grayer, and browns darker, and soon Gwen discovered why. The sky above them, where Earth's was a clear blue, was locked gray under fuzzy, heavy clouds. Gwen had the feeling these clouds never left.

"Why is she here?" Cyrus asked with something close to disgust in his voice.

"I don't know, but I'm willing to bet it had something to do with the way you flew across a room and knocked us into that glowing spinny thing," Morton said innocently. Gwen could feel Cyrus's glare.

"Is she dead?" Cyrus questioned Morton, his voice only curious.

The healing was completed, and she sat up and looked at Morton and Cyrus. They all stared at each other for a tense few seconds, feeling out their enemy's intentions. Gwen slowly rose to her feet.

Immediately Cyrus had his gun at her throat. "Where are we?" he demanded. Morton was behind him, gripping his mace readily. Gwen raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't know," she responded to his glare. "But if you get that gun out of my face I can find out."

Cyrus glared at her for a few seconds more before slowly lowering his gun. "Don't try anything," he warned. Gwen ignored him.

She closed her eyes and began to concentrate her mana as she had been practicing. True, she had never done this between planets before, but there's a first time for everything. She could feel Morton and Cyrus tense with uncertainty, but disregarded them for the time being. She would have to focus to find her cousin's light.

After a minute or two, she found it. She was surprised at how far she had to go to get him, but began to open what was commonly referred to as a screen anyway. She opened her eyes as her hands made a square that she enlarged. Morton and Cyrus took a few steps closer in curiosity. Gwen obliged them and turned the screen so they all could see it.

It was dark for a few moments, but gradually lightened into the image of her cousin, Ben, and Kevin peering at the portal and control box. Faintly but with increasing clarity they began to hear Ben and Kevin's conversation.

"Any way to repair it?" Ben asked Kevin while looking over the portal itself.

"No," Kevin said angrily. "That idiot shot directly into the main chip. We'll have to find a new one."

Gwen glanced at Cyrus at the name and had to hide a grin when he narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

Suddenly Kevin caught sight of the glowing square that had appeared behind them and the three strandees staring through it.

"Hey," he called while walking over to get a closer look at his girlfriend. Ben came with him.

"Hey," Gwen answered back. The three smiled at each other, glad to find each other all right, leaving Cyrus and Morton rather left out of things.

"Let me speak to my knights," Cyrus interrupted the reunion.

"Cant," Kevin responded smugly. "They're passed out. You can talk with them in prison when you get back."

Cyrus looked ready to level a return insult, but Ben cut him off. "Where are you?"

Gwen looked around. "I don't know," she admitted.

"Do you have your Plumber badge on you?" Kevin asked. Gwen felt in the pocket of her slacks and made a face. She pulled out the remains of the badge they all carried, gripping it so it wouldn't fall apart in her fingers. Kevin frowned at it.

"I must have landed on it," she stated.

"Try it anyway," Ben pressed. Gwen obliged him and pressed the center button. Slowly, light trickled into the Plumber insignia, flickering and sputtering. Everyone, even Ben and Kevin, leaned into it in anticipation.

"Hurry up and get the map out before it dies," Kevin said sharply. Gwen did so, the map shaky with lines running through it. A bright beacon appeared in an unfamiliar location, the star patterns strange around it. Gwen cocked her head at it.

"What's that mean?" Mortn asked.

"Hang on," Ben answered, pulling out his own badge. He opened up his map and studying the reading on Gwen's, matched them up. As soon as he had completed, Gwen's badge gave one last sputter and died, becoming a useless lump of plastic in her hands. Not wanting to litter, Gwen sighed and shoved it back in her pocket.

Ben found the planet where the beacon from Gwen's badge had been located and tapped it, activating the feature of Plumber's badges that describes each planet pressed. As the short description began scrolling through, Ben read it aloud for them.

"You're on a planet called Muyval. It's a portal relay planet, only sparsely populated. It has a variety of enviroments, ranging from mountains to grasslands to deserts and is known for having a permanent cloud lock surrounding the entire planet. Rain falls not incredibly often but enough to support life."

"That's nice," Gwen commented offhandedly. "How am I supposed to get back?"

"Cyrus fried the command box," Ben informed them, leveling a disapproving glare at the man responsible. "That was the only portal I knew of on earth, so the only control box, unless the Forever Knights happen to have another." Everyone looked at Cyrus.

"That was the only portal we had," Cyrus told them. In truth, he hadn't realized they had a portal at all, but it was the only one of them he had seen and just assumed it was the only one they had.

"Then we'll have to order a new box, which could take anywhere from three weeks to three months to get here," Kevin growled. Ben was busy fiddling with his badge.

"Or you could walk to the companion portal," he said to his cousin, switching his map from one of the galaxy to one of Muyval. "It'll take you about a week or two." He showed the three the new map.

"We can do that," Gwen asserted for the three of them. "Which direction is that?"

"West," Kevin answered. All three turned to look west, straight into the waiting forest.

"I see," Gwen commented. She began wrapping up the conversation. "I don't know how often I can contact you," she told them. Already, she was beginning to feel the strain of holding a conversation this long.

"That's okay," Ben reassured her. "Check in when you can."

Gwen nodded. "See you in a week," she finished.

"Be safe," Kevin told her. Ben looked at her in agreement with his friend. Gwen nodded and closed the screen.

"Best be off then," Morton stated, breaking the silence that had fallen with the end of the call. Wordlessly, they all turned toward the forest and began walking.

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><p><strong>Author's note: Thanks to Binkasaurus for commenting. I hope I answered your question thoroughly :)<strong>


	3. Have You Ever Had That Feeling

They walked in silence for some time, no one willing to break the quiet. Gwen almost wanted to start a conversation with Morton, if only to hear his accent, but she could imagine how that would go. _So, you're a genocidal killer. How's that working for ya? _Not to mention Cyrus, who hadn't stopped glaring at the world in general since their arrival. Gwen kept her thoughts to herself.

The meadow itself was fairly pleasant to walk through. A slight breeze blew fresh into her face, carrying the scent of green grass and rain. Had it not been for the extenuating circumstances, she would have enjoyed the stroll. She'd have to make a note of this planet. Spring vacation was only a few weeks away, and Ben would enjoy the break from all of the publicity.

Looming ever closer, the forest seemed to grow before their eyes, stretching from as far as their eyes could see. There was no path per say, but underneath the trees was relatively clear of undergrowth, making travel easier. As soon as they got under the canopy, the light dimmed noticeably. Unconsciously, they moved closer together. Gwen listened to the soft rustle of the leaves and the birds calling out to each other with none of the usual calm these sounds brought her. She noticed the two men were casually leaving their hands on their weapons of choice. Cyrus surreptitiously checked his sword.

Soon, Gwen could tell the already filtered light was fading. Cyrus must have noticed it too, for when they approached the next clearing he made his announcement. "We'll camp here for the night."

No one argued with him. "I'll go gather some firewood," Gwen offered. In truth, she only wanted to get away from the knights for a while, as silent and unfriendly as they were. Neither Morton nor Cyrus made any move to stop her.

Gwen struck off in a random direction and began to gather twigs to get the fire going, which she found in abundance on the forest floor. She soon had all they would need and began to look for bigger logs to sustain the fire, but there were none. There was no way she was going back to the knights with anything less than enough wood to last them, so she began looking towards the tree tops in search of a few good branches. Noting some, she fired a few energy blasts directly into their bases, effectively cutting them down. She cut them into smaller logs and loaded the whole pile onto a slab of energy she created and began to make her way back to camp.

Along the way, she began to have the horrible sensation that something was watching her. She spun around a few times, searching for the eyes she knew were upon her, but could find no sign of them. The feeling grew and grew until she heard Morton and Cyrus talking in the distance. She silenced her sounds, curious as to what they were talking about. Her fears were soon justified.

"Why don't we just leave her now?" Morton was asking. Accent or no, she hated the words he was saying.

"She'll follow us. If we leave her later, when she's sleeping, we'll have a good lead before she realizes we're gone," Cyrus patiently explained.

Morton grunted. "I guess," he conceded.

Gwen had heard enough of the conversation. She threw down a twig and stomped on it, fooling the knights into thinking she had just approached. She wandered back into the clearing, load following, making sure not to look too closely at the traitorous knights, no matter how hard she wanted to glare at them. Traveling without them would be so much nicer.

She wordlessly dropped the wood in the middle of the clearing and began to build a large enough fire to keep them warm. If Grandpa had taught her anything, it was how to build a good fire, and she soon had one blazing away.

"See anything we could eat?" Morton casually asked. Gwen was disgusted at how easily he lied.

"I wasn't looking, but there must be birds around here somewhere," Gwen calmly responded. She could play this game too. She looked at Cyrus, who had taken a seat on the opposite side of the fire, near Morton. "I suppose you could shoot a couple," she nodded at his gun.

"I suppose," Cyrus coolly responded. "But how do I know you're not just trying to get me to leave?"

"And why would I do that?" Gwen felt the sarcasm lace her words into something hard and harsh, but didn't really care. Cyrus glared at her, his deep brown eyes showing open hostility.

"Because you have a plan," he accused. Gwen nearly jumped over the fire to beat that lying hypocrite's face in. The nerve, accusing her of some backhanded plan when he himself was plotting to abandon her as soon as he was able.

Although her impulse was strong, Gwen shoved it down and merely responded with logic as flat as the look she handed Cyrus. "Yeah, or I'm hungry."

Cyrus looked like he was trying, but could find no fault with her argument. In fact, he was feeling rather hungry himself, but he wasn't about to let on to that witch of a girl. As it turned out, he didn't have to, for his companion did it for him. In the silence after Gwen's remark, Morton's stomach let out a loud growl, to his obvious embarrassment. Both Cyrus and Gwen stared at the heavyset man as his face turned beet red.

Cyrus sighed and grabbed his weapon. "I'll be back," he threw over his shoulder as he walked away. "Don't try anything," he gave one final warning to Gwen. Gwen threw him an evil look that he wisely chose to ignore as he left the camp.

That left Morton and Gwen alone with each other. As time passed, Morton began cleaning his mace while Gwen shut her eyes while keeping her inner self alert to her surroundings. She could sense Cyrus, a few hundred yards away, concentrating as he located some birds and proceeded to shoot them dead. Closer still, she felt Morton's discomfort as he meticulously polished his weapon. Gwen felt a twinge of sorrow as she realized she would be alone from here on out. Company, no matter how unpleasant, was preferred by her over being completely alone, but there was really no choice here. She wasn't about to force them to stay with her, as if she needed them.

Suddenly, she became aware of that dreadful feeling of being watched, or more like hunted. She whipped her head around, covering all angles. Morton looked up from his work at the movement.

"Something wrong?" he asked, squinting at the girl through the fire. He clutched his mace.

"Do you feel that?" Gwen asked him, still searching the ever darkening surroundings. With a jolt, she realized that without stars and the moon to light the night, and with the trees forming a canopy above them, it would be pitch black in the forest at night.

"Feel what?" the knight answered.

"Like we're being watched," Gwen hesitantly told him. Now aware of the situation, Morton looked around to, searching for the telltale glint of eyes.

"I don't see anything," he eventually said, not quite stopping his examination of their surroundings.

"Maybe I'm paranoid then," Gwen shrugged, resolving to keep on her guard. Morton shrugged, but never quite loosened his hold on his weapon.

They both jumped at the sudden sound twigs snapping as Cyrus returned to camp, several cleaned birds in hand. Cyrus noticed the action.

"Something wrong?" he asked his fellow knight. Morton gave a slight shake of his head, but his voice betrayed him.

"Don't think so," he said, uncertainty seeping through. Cyrus gave an unconvinced frown and carefully scrutinized Gwen, who met his glare with a frown of her own. Eventually, he got down to the business of cooking the birds and soon had them roasting on a hastily fashioned spit above the fire. Gwen watched the proceedings out of boredom if nothing else while her stomach became alive with the smell of food. Morton was looking similarly affected, all thoughts of being hunted gone from his mind.

Finally, the birds were done and they all ate their fill. Cyrus hadn't cooked the birds particularly well, or even slightly well, but they had all worked up quite an appetite from the walk and after a few tentative bites, Gwen and Morton stuffed themselves.

When they had finished, night had truly fallen. Gwen had been right. The world had shrunk to what the light of the fire could shine on; pitch black hiding everything outside ten or twenty yards. Gwen almost felt a bit claustrophobic, but quelled the feeling with some deep, steady breathing and meditation.

Morton stood up and stretched. "I'll take first watch," he offered. Gwen nodded and kept her face in neutral. _Yeah, I just bet you will,_ she thought to herself as she got comfortable. She didn't let herself drift off into complete sleep though, keeping her inner self open to her immediate surroundings. The hours drifted by as Cyrus fed the fire occasionally, keeping the darkness at bay.

Eventually, when he judged enough time had passed that the witch-girl was well and truly asleep, he rose quietly and signaled at Morton. Morton nodded and returned to camp from his lookout post a few yards away. Gwen felt the two have some sort of wordless conversation when they met up near the fire to grab a torch to light their way, then they began walking away.

As they left, Gwen heard Morton having second thoughts. "Think she'll be okay?"

Through a slitted eye, she saw Cyrus make a hushing movement, although he answered the question. "Probably," he said offhandedly. Morton looked back, not quite reassured, but didn't stop walking.

Suddenly, all three felt ice run through their veins as a low snarl sounded out from the side of the forest where Morton had been previously standing. Gwen slowly rose to her feet as she felt a feral life force near the camp. In fact, she felt several. During the night, they had been surrounded, it seemed. She cast an accusatory glance at Morton, who didn't respond due to the fact he hadn't seen it. He and Cyrus were back to back, facing off against the unseen beasts. Gwen slowly edged over to the pair.

"We're surrounded," Cyrus said softly to Morton and Gwen. Gwen rolled her eyes.

_No, really?_

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><p><strong>Thanks to inkheartedforever and prankstar for commenting. I do appreciate you taking your time to voice your thoughts.<strong>


	4. Shadow Attack

**Be forewarned: this chapter is rather bloody. **

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><p>Gwen aligned herself back to back to back with Morton and Cyrus, each scrutinizing the edge of the light the fire gave. Gwen became certain she saw long, low, black shapes begin moving just outside the circle. She heard Cyrus's gun charge up to full capacity and knew Morton had a death grip on his mace behind her. For her part, she summoned the mana around her fists in preparation for the upcoming battle.<p>

"Do you see them?" She asked the two knights. She kept her voice calm and quiet so as to not stir the hunters, whatever they might be, into motion.

"Yes," Cyrus answered, copying Gwen's tones.

"Looks about five," Morton estimated. "Maybe more, farther back."

Suddenly, one of the braver creatures padded out in their circling, coming into full view. Gwen felt her heart in her chest as she got a good look at what was hunting them. She was reminded of Earth's wolves, but none had quite the utterly ferocious appearance of this creature. Black as pitch, the creature padded silently of paws as big as horse hooves, the action showcasing its lithe muscles and fluid grace. The body of the beast tapered back to the proportions of an average wolf, unsettling Gwen. Perhaps most frightening, though, was its face. Where Earth's wolves had gleaming eyes and bright white teeth, everything about this creature was black, from its dagger teeth to its flat, pit-like eyes.

The creature quickly dissolved back into the shadows, circling them again with its mates.

"Do we have a plan?" Morton asked. Gwen was pretty sure the question was directed at Cyrus.

Cyrus was, too. "Stay together. Don't let them separate us," he cautioned. Gwen wished to God Cyrus could see the face she was making, but just let out an incredulous snort. Honestly…

Suddenly, they felt a change in the atmosphere. The creatures had stopped circling, and their prey could feel them, poised for attack. Time seemed to slow for Gwen as she felt her hair stand on end. No one moved.

They all attacked at once. Morton had been right; there were no less than five of the creatures. Gwen hadn't anticipated how fast they moved when she shot at one of them. It dodged as quick as black lightning and leapt at her, malicious claws outstretched. Caught off guard, Gwen threw up a shield to defend herself.

Again she misjudged, for the beast attacked with much more force than she thought possible. She was knocked back away from Morton and Cyrus and onto her side. She saw the two knights as she fell, fighting desperately. Cyrus couldn't get a shot on the beast attacking him, for it was too quick for his gun. Morton wasn't having quite the same problem, but he was at it tooth and nail with two shadows, and Gwen could see the desperation in his attacks. But she didn't have time to help, for the fifth creature made its presence known.

Gwen felt it latch onto her hand, the teeth digging into her flesh with absolute ease until she heard her wrist crunch. She cried out in pain and rolled to the side, away from the two attackers, and onto her feet. She risked a quick glance at her wrist and was sickened by the sight. Her hand had been mangled, blood gushing out. Bloody furrows had been carved when she had pulled her hand away, and she knew she would have no further help from that hand for the remainder of the fight. She held it close to her body and began thinking about her spells.

Her mind was clouded by the pain for the moment, so she simply reached out an arm with her mana and expanded it until she caught one of the creatures. She viciously snapped it into a tree and heard a satisfying yelp. The other one, now wary, approached her slowly, an evil growl rumbling from his chest. Gwen stared it down as it approached. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cyrus throw his gun down in disgust and pull out his sword, preparing to fight the attacker. Morton landed a club on one of the beast's head, and he lay still. _Way to go,_ Gwen thought, but soon returned to her own fight.

Gwen finally had enough time to concentrate for a spell and remembered the one she had used previously on Kevin. It hadn't been too effective, but she hoped that would not be the case here. She drew herself up to full height and stretched out her hand toward the creature. If she didn't concentrate, the spell could quickly get out of hand, literally. Summoning her magic, she boomed out the words.

_Tempestus Impatus_

Lightning shot from her hands at the beast, frying him on the spot. Usually, the strike would have come from the sky, but a side note in the spell book clarified that with great concentration, the strike could be delivered from the hand. Gwen was not prepared for the power drain that occurred afterward though. The world spun and grew hazy as her body recoiled from the massive power burst.

"You all right over there?" she heard Morton call.

"Yeah," she answered back, hoping her voice sounded as confident as she wished she could be. _No more of that,_ she told herself.

The one she had snapped against the tree got up smoothly and moved to rush her, but the injury had done its work and the beast was slower and clumsier. Gwen aimed a hard shot at its head, which connected and dropped the creature.

Free from her attackers, she checked up on the two knights. As she watched, Morton leveled his second attacker with a sickening crunch to the skull while Cyrus finally managed to slice his opponent in two. For a minute, they all looked warily around, making sure there were no more enemies. Then, sensing no more, Gwen walked over to the two knights.

"Are you injured?" she asked the pair.

"No," Cyrus stoically replied. Gwen looked at his leg. The creature had managed to get a large swipe at his thigh in, and his armor had not held against the massive ferocity of its paw. Blood seeped through the rip.

"So you just bleed for fun?" she quipped, frowning at him.

"It's nothing," Cyrus lied. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. All he really wanted to do was grab his leg and howl, but he was not about to show any sign of pain in front of Gwen.

Gwen wasn't going to put up with it any longer. "Sit down," she commanded, leading Cyrus back to the fire. She looked at Morton and noticed a nasty scratch running down his arm. "You're next," she threatened. Morton shrugged, but looked pleased.

"Your hand," Cyrus noticed. Gwen had managed to block it out for the past few minutes, but the reminder brought the pain flooding back. She frowned at her hand.

"You'd better handle that first," Cyrus said while carefully sitting down, trying and failing not to aggravate his wound. His face twisted into a grimace.

Gwen was tired of arguing with the man. "Fine," she sighed. It wouldn't take too much time anyway. She began the process as Morton started to feed the fire. It had died down a small bit during the fight and the light was leaving. As she watched him go about his work, she noticed a shadow moving where Morton had been fighting not two minutes ago.

"Morton! Look out!" she tried to warn him, but it was too late. The beast Morton had first fallen sprang to its feet and locked Morton's foot in its jaws. Morton cried out in shock and pain. Behind Gwen, Cyrus lurched to his feet, wound forgotten, as the alien creature dragged Morton from camp and into the forest.

"Stay here!" Gwen shouted at Cyrus while she began pelting after Morton. She caught a glimpse of Cyrus's face as she left, outrage and acceptance both written on his features. _Well, he can handle it,_ Gwen thought to herself.

She quickly cast a luminous ball of mana above her head to light the way. The forest was black as night, but Morton was making quite a racket as he was dragged along, yelling and breaking twigs and branches. Gwen could have followed him even if she was deaf from the trail alone. The ball of mana followed her, casting a soft pink light on her surroundings. Morton was growing louder, meaning she was getting closer as she jumped over sticks and dodged trees and pits. She assumed dragging the burly man was slowing down the beast considerably, although he was still fast enough to get a good way away before she caught up with them.

Finally, she crashed through a stand of trees to find the beast and Morton. When it caught sight of her, the beast let loose a feral growl as it glared at her from soulless eyes.

"Gwen!" Morton shouted, craning his neck nearly double over to see her from his position flush with the ground. Gwen looked at him quickly before she feinted a step at the creature. It had the desired effect, and letting go of Morton, the black alien shot away from the two as quickly as it had come.

Morton groaned while Gwen quickly walked over to him, checking around for any more creatures. She strengthened the light of the orb to see better the knight who had been dragged, and knelt beside him. Morton tried to sit up and gasped with pain when he brought his foot beneath him to stand. Gwen winced at the sight of it. Blood gushed profusely from the various bite marks, and Gwen was certain bones had been broken.

She gently placed a hand under his back for support. "Easy there," she calmed him. "Let's get you back to camp."

Morton looked at her thankfully, and between the two of them and several pained grunts from Morton, they managed to get him into a standing position. Gwen put his arm over her shoulder on his weak side, supporting him for the walk home. It was slow going, step hobble, step hobble. Not to mention Morton himself, who Gwen assumed weighed five hundred pounds at this moment in time.

"You knew, didn't ya?" Morton asked after a few steps.

"Knew what?" Gwen asked innocently. Morton was beginning to breathe heavy from the exertion and pain, and Gwen began to look for a suitable place to take a break.

Morton shot her a look incredibly similar to the one she had given Cyrus when he said he was fine, and Gwen sigh in defeat. "Yeah, I knew," she conceded. She found a nice stump and directed Morton to it. "Sit here for a minute." Morton did as he was asked and sank onto the stump. Gwen noticed the sweat pouring down his face and mentally added a few more minutes to the break.

"So what now?" she asked Morton. He knew what she meant.

"Doesn't seem the best choice to go now," he shrugged between pants. Gwen didn't know how she felt about this. She allowed Morton a few more minutes and then briskly got him up and supported. They managed to make it the rest of the way back before Morton nearly passed out on the ground near the fire.

Cyrus half rose in concern for his fallen comrade before Gwen allayed his fears. "I'll get to him first, if you don't mind," she told Cyrus. Cyrus hobbled over to the pair before sitting down near Morton.

"I'd like to watch," he stated, daring Gwen to argue. Gwen didn't have the heart for it at the moment and simply rolled her eyes at the man.

"How do I get this off?" she asked the knight, pointing to Morton's armor guarding his leg. In his current situation, it wasn't doing him a bit of good and it was blocking her from getting at the wound. Cyrus hesitated for a second, then showed her the clasps and fastens that took the leg off the set. Gwen gently pried it off and set about healing the wound. Morton moaned with pleasure as the pain faded, and his breathing eased, much to the comfort of the two watching.

While she was working on Morton, she nodded at Cyrus. "Better get that off too," she gestured at the armor coating his leg. Cyrus frowned, but complied. Gwen finished up with Morton's arm and moved on to Cyrus, who couldn't suppress the sigh that came with the leaching away of the pain. Gwen didn't gloat, however.

When she had finished, there was a good deal of blood still left over, on her hands and various places on the knights. There was no water to wash it off, so Gwen settled with wiping it on some leaves and burning them. It wasn't the cleanest method, but it would do.

All the healing and spells had left Gwen completely drained, and she knew it was pretty darn apparent. When Cyrus offered, or stated, that he would take watch, Gwen didn't argue, but sank into a deep, real sleep.

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><p><strong>I'd like to thank Binkasaurus, MidnightGwevinXxX, hey hey, and PrankStar for reviewing the last chapter. I love the feedback. <strong>


	5. Ambush

Gwen woke up to filtered light finally returning to the forest. She knew it couldn't be past seven- her inner clock wouldn't let her sleep that long. Looking off to her side, she found no sign of either of the Forever Knights, nor the creatures that had fought them last night. She was rather nervous until she saw a silver shape off a few meters in the forest. After she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she recognized it as Cyrus, facing away from her. If Cyrus was still here, and he hadn't woken her, Morton must still be around too. Gwen assumed he was off discarding the carcasses of the beasts.

Gwen sat up, her muscles groaning in protest after sleeping on the hard ground. She rose quietly and stretched, easing the aches. Suddenly, Cyrus pulled his sword and lunged to his right. She was about to call out to him when she realized he had swung at nothing but air. When he blocked an invisible swing and parried sharply, she realized he was merely practicing. Gwen watched him for a few minutes as he dueled invisible opponents. _He certainly does get into it,_ she thought as she watched the concentration on his face as he completed a complicated sequence of blows. The focus shown made Gwen wonder if he even knew he was being watched.

Watching, though, soon got tiring and Gwen began thinking about breakfast. There was no way she was letting Cyrus prepare the food, ever, so she stirred up the fire and began looking around for anything they could eat. She wandered a bit around the camp, looking for birds or anything else. The birds were chirping, she could hear them, but she didn't know where they were. As she searched the tree tops, she suddenly saw the most adorable squirrel waving its tail at her.

She was interrupted by Morton crashing back into camp, scaring the golden squirrel away. She walked over the man and they both sat on the ground.

"Feeling better?" she inquired. Sometimes problems occurred with the spells, but not often with her. Still, it never hurt to be cautious.

"Right as rain," Morton replied. They both looked at Cyrus, who was working up a flashing storm as he practiced. "Never could get any good with a sword," he commented to Gwen. Gwen assumed he was talking about himself.

"I guess it's not for everyone," she kept the conversation going. Leaning forward, she stirred up the fire. It was kind of chilly in the morning, and she wished she had been wearing something warmer than her new button up shirt. Stretching again, she rose.

"I'm going to go find some breakfast," she told Morton before moving off into the forest.

"See if you can find some water," Morton called quietly. Gwen nodded as she left.

Wandering in the forest was strangely relaxing, and Gwen found herself enjoying it far more than she had suspected possible. She soon reminded herself of her original purpose though and began to seriously look for anything she could eat. A strange gurgling noise interrupted her from her search, but it was not unwelcome. Pushing through a copse of trees, she found the source of the noise – a small stream happily babbling along. The sudden thought occurred to her that she had nothing to carry the water in, but she shrugged fatalistically. It wasn't a far walk; she would just inform the knights about the location.

After she drank her fill, for she hadn't realized how thirsty she was until Morton had mentioned water, she began to look around. Water nearly always meant food, whether from plants or animals, and as soon as she looked up she found her answer. The trees she had pushed through hung with strange purple colored fruits. Using her mana, she knocked down a few of the fruit and peeled one open. Gwen knew she shouldn't just eat whatever she found on random planets, so she cast the spell she had learned to detect poison. It checked out, but she surreptitiously licked it. The taste reminded her of a strange mix of lemons and strawberries and spinach. _Oh well, food is food. _All those years with Grandpa Max had hardened her taste buds.

She wandered back into camp, taking her time. The fruit followed her in a sack she conjured up with her mana, and a couple squirrels did too. She enjoyed watching them, with their playful antics and twitching tails. They provided a golden bright spot in the otherwise gloomy forest. But the walk could not last forever and soon she was back at camp. Cyrus was there too, his practice apparently over, and someone had broken the fire. The two knights were chatting quietly when Gwen came into camp, but quieted when they saw the food.

"How do you know we can eat this?" Cyrus frowned at the fruit when he picked one up. Gwen eyed him and shrugged.

"I checked it," she casually answered while peeling and proceeding to eat one of the fruits. Cyrus's frown deepened with her answer, but Gwen was beyond caring. She walked over to her spot last night and picked up the remains of her badge. It had poked into her side sometime in the night and she had put it to the side. "I did find some water about two hundred feet that way," she pointed in the direction she had come from. "If you feel it's safe," she added mockingly.

"I'll be sure to check," Cyrus sniped as he walked off. Morton picked up one of the fruits Cyrus had discarded and carefully scrutinized it.

"Is it safe?" he asked Gwen.

"Yeah," she assured him. "I already had one a few minutes ago." Morton seemed satisfied and peeled one on his way to the water. Gwen passed the time watching a few of the squirrels play up in the tree tops and thinking about her cousin and boyfriend. A week and a half…

Morton and Cyrus strode back in camp. "We're off," Cyrus stated. Gwen didn't remark but got up and followed the two back in the general direction they had been heading before they broke for camp. By and by, Morton fell back to walk near Gwen.

"Remember what comes after the forest?" Morton asked.

"The map didn't say," Gwen responded. "Wonder what it could be."

"Maybe it's some more of that meadow," Morton answered. "Wouldn't mind that. This forest is getting down right creepy."

"You like meadows?" Gwen inquired. Morton seemed to like talking.

"Reminds me of home, it does," Morton answered. "Cloudy like it too."

"Really?" Gwen prodded.

"Oh yes. Rare day it was when the sun graced our little town. Of course, it didn't do us any harm," Morton went on, chatting, and Gwen listened attentively. At least someone wasn't such a hardnose. Reminded of hardnoses, she watched Cyrus, who stubbornly refused to look back at either of them. They continued this way for some time before Cyrus stopped in a small clearing.

"We'll break here for a few minutes," he announced before sitting on a stump. Morton found a sturdy tree and sat against its trunk. Gwen began to wander off into the forest.

"And where do you think you're going?" Cyrus questioned her.

Gwen whipped around and faced the man. "If it's quite alright with you, I'm going to go use the restroom," she handed out sarcastically, daring him to argue. Cyrus stared at her before letting out a soft grunt. Gwen rolled her eyes and went off away from the insufferable man.

When she had done her business, she came back to the clearing and sat down against a tree, copying Morton's actions. The golden squirrels had followed them all the way, playfully leaping from tree to tree and watching them through sparkling black eyes. If she wasn't mistaken, there were even more now. Gwen stood a safe distance away from the knights and leaned against a tree to further observe the frisky creatures.

"I don't like the looks of those squirrels," Cyrus commented.

"What's not to like?" Gwen asked. Cyrus chose not to answer. Dropping the conversation, Gwen reached into her pocket and pulled out the remains of her badge. Already it was falling apart, the effect of the badge's biodegradable materials. She should have buried it already, Gwen reflected, and looked around for a suitable place. The dirt here looked soft and loose, so she knelt and began to dig a small hole. She felt the knights watching but chose not to care. When the hole was deep enough, she deposited the badge and began to fill it back in.

"What did you just do?" Cyrus questioned her.

"Buried my badge. It's about to disintegrate anyway," Gwen answered.

Cyrus stared at her distrustfully for a few seconds more, then announced, "Let's move out."

Morton took a minute to get to his feet while Gwen rose smoothly. Suddenly Cyrus froze. Gwen looked in the direction his eyes were turned and saw the reason for his reaction. Swarms of squirrels hung heavy on the branches, frozen in place. Suddenly they didn't look so playful. Morton caught on to the danger and also became still.

"What now?" he softly asked. Cyrus didn't answer, and Gwen was at a loss too. As the seconds crawled by, she began to grow hopeful.

"Maybe they won't attack," she wondered aloud. The words had just left her mouth when at some unseen signal, the squirrels leapt as one toward the three.

Gwen heard Cyrus draw his sword, but there was no need. A dome of mana covered them, separating the rodents from the trio. All three of them watched with revulsion as the formerly adorable squirrels made the horrific transformation into appalling rodents. The golden fur stood at awkward angles and lost its sheen, while drool dripped from long yellow teeth. The dark, playful eyes had morphed into crazed black pits. As one, the rodents swarmed and writhed against the walls of the dome, trying to bite through with their sharp buck teeth. On the whole, it was a pretty disturbing sight.

Before Cyrus had a chance to order anything, Gwen shouted out "Saphirius Expectorium Perpetua!" A tornado immediately sprung up around the glowing pink dome, sending the freakish squirrels every which way, smacking them into trees and onto the ground. When the winds died down, Gwen had the satisfaction of watching the rodents pick themselves up and run away. Sensing the danger was over, she dropped the shield.

Her satisfaction didn't last long, however. Turning around, she immediately grew angry at the sight of Cyrus's face.

"I told you the rodents were dangerous!" Cyrus spat harshly at her.

"Excuse me? You're trying to blame me for a random attack by squirrels on a strange planet?" Gwen said incredulously.

"Maybe if you had been a bit more cautious-" Cyrus started, but was interrupted by Gwen.

"What? What would have happened?" she angrily yelled at him. Cyrus seemed taken aback by Gwen finally raising her voice, but recovered quickly.

"Hold on there, you two," Morton tried to intervene, but both parties shot him looks so furious he stopped mid-sentence.

"I believe it would be best if we parted ways," Cyrus stiffly informed her. Gwen's jaw nearly dropped at the man's arrogance and stupidity. He had the audacity to dismiss her, after she had singlehandedly protected them all?

"Agreed," Gwen spat out. Whirling about, she angrily stomped off to her left, away from the intolerable knights.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Thanks Death's Dreary Depressing Dreadful Dull Door for commenting. I'm glad you like Gwen. Feel free to warn me if I'm getting a bit OOC with her. Thanks to Prankstar too for commenting. I agree, wolves are freakin amazing.<br>**


	6. Separate

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long. I'll try to be better about updating. **

Cyrus watched the girl stomp off with a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was only growing with the flat glare Morton was giving him. Maybe this wasn't –

Cyrus shook himself. Of course this was a good idea. They didn't need the witch. Cyrus had memorized the map, and now he had one less mouth to feed. He snorted at the memory of Gwen and signaled at Morton to begin moving. Morton didn't move for a second, but then hesitantly followed.

"Maybe that wasn't – " Morton began, but Cyrus cut him off.

"We'll be fine," he assured his partner. His voice left no room for question or doubt, but he could feel Morton was still unsure. _Oh well, _he thought. He'll come around.

The two men resumed their trek and for the next few hours silence reigned over the unchanging forest. But all things come to an end, and before long the two silver figures reached a rather unpleasant change of scenery. Abruptly, the forest ended, giving way to a rancid smelling marshy swamp. Tall grasses and stout, gnarled trees were abundant, growing in the thick, muddy water. Both men looked on in dismay.

"Any way around?" Morton asked even as he looked. But the swamp stretched in both directions and neither man could see the end.

"We'll have to ford it," Cyrus stated the obvious. Morton let out a brief sigh of dismay before steeling himself to the fact.

"Nothing else for it," he concurred. Both men stared at the swamp a moment more before Cyrus racked up the nerve to step out into the evil smelling water. It was rancidly warm, and the soft muddy bottom sucked at his boots. Morton barely suppressed a shiver as he followed.

"Smells a bit ripe close to," he observed. Cyrus silently agreed.

The going was slow after that. The ground pulled at their feet and the thigh-high water slowed their legs and walking was exhausting. The sun was beginning to set and neither man could see the end of the lake.

"Perhaps we should have waited until the morning to start this," Morton wondered aloud pointedly.

"Perhaps," Cyrus admitted. He knew his comrade's patience with him was growing thin. "I believe our best option would be to spend the night in one of those short trees. Can't be too hard a climb."

"Well if it's our best option, why not?" Morton snarked. Cyrus let it slide. He began casting around for a suitable tree in which to spend the night in when he saw something that chilled him. He froze in place, eyes fixed on what he hoped was only an illusion. Morton sensed the danger and froze too.

"What is it," Morton whisped, searching for whatever Cyrus had seen.

Cyrus barely pointed to a spot in the distance, but Morton finally found what he had seen. Two eyeballs, jutting out of the river on stalks, stared at the two men from not a hundred meters away. They were some of the most disturbing eyes either of the knights had ever seen before, yellow-green and crusted. Both men were frozen in place, transfixed by the sight.

Then the eyes went under.

"Go!" Cyrus shouted. He began running/wading as fast as he could toward a short tree he had only just saw not twenty meters away, Morton right behind him. Morton cast a quick glance behind him and saw a wake in the swamp water making a sharp point toward them, eating the distance between them disturbingly fast.

"Hesgainingonus," he shouted. Cyrus barely understood him, but redoubled his efforts. He reached the tree, but turned around to haul Morton forward and up. The big man grabbed a thick, low hanging branch and scrambled up, holding out a hand to Cyrus. Cyrus latched on and pulled himself up.

And not a moment too soon. As soon as he got fully into the tree, the predator launched itself out of the water at him. Instinctively, the knight jumped up and back into a higher branch. The monster's teeth latched onto the branch he had just been on, and Cyrus saw a flashes of a long, lean brown body, murderously long, pointed teeth, and eyes that bugged out from its head in a truly disgusting fashion. It held on to the branch for a few seconds, thrashing about wildly. Then the monster's hold on the tree slipped and with a slap it fell back into the marsh. The two men watched with unease at it circled the tree.

"Well, I guess this tree's as good as any other," Cyrus tried after catching his breath for a few minutes, but he didn't let go of the branch for fear Morton would see how bad his hands were shaking. Morton gave him a look that said quite clearly he was utterly and totally ticked off with his commander and climbed into a sturdy looking branch a bit higher off the ground. He didn't say a word.

And so the three spent the night.

* * *

><p>Gwen stormed off for a good hour away from the knights, then turned to the left to parallel their original course. All the while her anger simmered. The occasional squirrel she saw was quickly discouraged from her company by a head shot by mana. After four or five of these, she felt her anger abate and a strange sense of loneliness take its place. She truly was alone now.<p>

Oh well, she reassured herself. She was perfectly capable of surviving on a semi-hostile planet, and no company was almost better than her previous company. Holding on to these thoughts, she strode forth into the forest.

After a while, she too came to the swamp. As had the knights, she looked out with dismay at the forbidding landscape. She dreaded the thought of fording the murky waters.

And then the smiled as she realized that she was a magical mana-manipulating Anodite and had to do no such thing. Summoning some platforms, she began walking a good ten feet above the disgusting marsh, her smile staying with her all the way across.

Two hours later, she reached the other side of the swamp, and after locating dinner and building a fire, she cast a quick but sound perimeter wall and promptly fell into a deep and comfortable sleep.


	7. Together

Cyrus and Morton woke the next morning sore and stiff from sleeping in the tree. On the bright side, it seemed the monster that had attacked the previous night had grown tired of waiting and had swum off in search of easier prey. Silently, the two men eased themselves back into the now hated swamp and resumed their journey. After the previous night, it was relatively uneventful. Cyrus let loose surprised grunt once when he thought something bit him through a chink in his armor, but other than that there was nothing else to break the monotony. The two reached the other side a few hours after dawn.

Finally free of the fetid waters, the two broke for a long awaited heavy brunch after missing dinner the night before. Cyrus had meticulously kept his pistol dry and shot a good number of fat birds, which went a long way in restoring both of their spirits. Morton even made small talk.

Cyrus was feeling better too. There was a slight ache in his side where he had been bit, but he didn't pay it much attention. He washed it quickly with some clean water from a small spring they came across and thought about it no more.

They were back in the forest, a welcome relief even with its shadow wolves and rat squirrels. The two let set themselves at an easy pace for the morning, both feeling that they earned it. Morton got chatty, and Cyrus kept up an amiable conversation with him for most of the morning.

But the ache in his side was spreading and growing worse and it started to bother Cyrus. The hours slipped by increasingly slowly, and by the time the two broke for lunch the pain was getting a bit distracting. Cyrus decided it must be hunger, but not even food helped.

"You all right there?" Morton asked. Cyrus didn't realize he'd been wincing as he stood.

"Fine," he brushed it off. "Just a bit stiff." Morton seemed to accept his excuse.

The two continued their walk for a few more hours. They had exhausted the conversation and resorted to a companionable silence. The soft grey light filtering through the trees was beginning to grow familiar and Morton made a game of throwing stones at any squirrel that should happen across their path. Then Cyrus felt a lancing cramp come from his side. He grunted as his hand flew to the bite mark.

"What's the matter?" Morton asked, concern etched in his voice.

"Nothing," Cyrus tried, but Morton wasn't having it.

"Come on now, let me see," he demanded. Cyrus frowned at him, but a phantom ache shot through and wincing, he obliged. Removing his armor, both men winced at the sight. The flesh around the bite had grown horribly discolored and felt hot to the touch.

"You just ignored that?" Morton asked in surprise.

"It wasn't that bad a while ago," Cyrus explained, but even he was worried.

"Come on, let's set you down," Morton advised, but Cyrus waved him off.

"No, no, it's okay," he tried to assure his friend. "It's just an infection. I'll treat it at a spring."

"Maybe – " Morton started.

"Really, it's fine. Come on, we're losing daylight," Cyrus avoided the obvious and moved off. Frowning, Morton followed him. The two walked for another twenty minutes when Cyrus felt another arc of pain, this one strong enough to cause him to stagger.

"Sit down," Morton told him. Cyrus sighed as he slumped against a tree. "It's poison, isn't it?" Morton guessed. Cyrus shook his head.

"No, it can't be," he denied. "It just got dirty in that wretched swamp. I'll be fine." The statement was disproved a moment later when Cyrus jerked again.

"I think we need to find Gwen," Morton finally told him.

"No!" Cyrus said swiftly. "We don't need her!"

Morton took a stand. "_We_ may not, but _you_ do, and I'm not just sitting by while you go and die on me," he admonished. Cyrus looked at him mournfully.

"I'm not going to die," he stubbornly told the bigger man. He attempted to stand back up again, but a wave of dizziness overtook him and Morton had to help lower him back down.

"No, you're not," Morton agreed. "Because I'm finding that girl and I'm bringing her back here."

"No, you're not! I absolutely forbid it!" Cyrus asserted, drawing himself up against the tree.

Morton looked at his commander a good minute before crouching down to look him in the eye. His voice, normally easy going, was deadly serious. "Don't be too proud to accept help when you need it," he carefully made his point.

Cyrus looked down.

"Perhaps it'd be best if you were higher up," Morton said, looking around. There was a tree not too far away that looked sturdy and easy to climb. Helping Cyrus up and supporting the man across, the two of them combined managed to get the sick man up at least high enough to avoid most predators in the tree, but the effort left Cyrus sweating and panting.

"You're worse than you're letting on, aren't you?" Morton asked. Cyrus got his breath and shook his head.

Hopping down from the tree, Morton began walking ahead and to the left. "I'll be back shortly. She can't have gotten too far," he assured his commander. Cyrus just nodded. Morton assumed it was because of his wounded pride and shrugged inwardly.

* * *

><p>Gwen might have gotten farther if she hadn't reached the lake. A small clearing, open and rather inviting, was lodged in the middle of the forest and the clear, clean water enticed Gwen to calling it a day early.<p>

First thing's first, she told herself, and promptly took a bath. Then she washed her clothes. And then she put them on and felt fantastic.

Gwen rolled up her pants and let her feet dangle in the pool, laying back to look at the sky. Although it was pretty uniform, if she relaxed she could make out shapes and patterns. It was very calming, and after a few minutes she cast a quick perimeter spell and let herself doze, half asleep and half awake.

She stayed in this state for a few hours, almost meditating, until a cry shocked her out of her trance. Jerking awake, she saw Morton hopping on one leg and clutching his foot a few meters away.

"Morton?" she asked surprised.

Morton looked up and quickly put his foot back on the ground, attempting to regain his lost dignity. Gwen stood up and faced the large man.

"Gwen," Morton gave a stiff but low bow.

"Where's Cyrus?" Gwen asked. She could tell that something was wrong.

Morton stood back up. "That's actually why I'm here," he admitted. "He's in a bad way. Do you think – " he left off.

"Of course," Gwen said. She put her flats back on and snapped her fingers, dismissing the spell. Striding over to Morton, she gestured for him to walk with her. However, as she got close, she couldn't help but make a face as she caught the smell of the man. She tried to shake it off, but really, it was overwhelming. Morton seemed confused for a minute, then embarrassed as he realized what was causing the reaction.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"No, it's okay," Gwen smiled, but didn't get too close to the man. "So, what's wrong?"

"We were fording that swamp a few miles back," Morton started, "when something bit Cyrus. I believe he's been poisoned. You can fix that, right?'

"How bad is it?" Gwen asked.

"He was in pretty bad shape when I left," Morton admitted.

"It'll probably take a while," Gwen mused. "Drawing poison is never easy." Morton looked a bit concerned. "But it can be done," she hurried to assure him. "We better get there quickly though," she added. Both of them picked up the pace.

"And Gwen, about before," Morton started, but Gwen cut him off with a dismissing wave of her hand.

"Oh, don't worry about it," she brushed it off. Morton gave her a grateful smile and let it be.

The light was beginning to dim when the two finally reached where Morton had left his partner. Sometime in the day, Cyrus had gotten out of the tree and now lay at its base, but whether he fell or climbed down neither could tell.

Cyrus had grown progressively worse in the hours after Morton left. He was pale and shaking, and seemed to be asleep. However, when Gwen got closer, she could see the man was hyperventilating slightly.

"Hey, Cyrus," she said softly, kneeling down beside the man. "I heard you weren't feeling well."

Cyrus opened his eyes slightly at the sound of her voice. They were dim and clouded with fever. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and Gwen immediately felt bad for the man. Gently, she removed his hand, which had been clutching his side, and looked under his armor. Both she and Morton gasped. Lines of black were shooting out from the puncture marks, and Cyrus's entire side had gone red and swollen.

"Was he this bad when you left?" Gwen asked.

"No," Morton answered worriedly. Suddenly, Cyrus doubled over in pain, crying out softly. The episode ended quickly though, and the man slumped back, exhausted.

"This is going to be a while," Gwen mused. "Why don't you make camp?" she asked Morton, who didn't really know what to do with himself in this situation. He nodded and hurried off. Gwen turned back to Cyrus. "I'm going to put you to sleep now," she told him. Cyrus looked like he understood and nodded his head. Gwen put her hand on one of his temples and spoke the soft spell of sleep, and Cyrus's eyes shut although his breathing was far from easy. Gwen got to work drawing out the poison.

The sun had set by the time she finished drawing out the last of it. The spell for poison was long and energy consuming and left her drained. She also had to heal Cyrus a bit as the poison had begun to eat at his flesh. When all was said and done, she was exhausted, but Cyrus had fallen into a deep and easy sleep. After reassuring Morton that Cyrus was fine now and that he would wake up in the morning, Gwen slowly ate some of the roast bird Morton had prepared and was grateful when Morton said he would take first watch. Nodding sleepily, she stretched out and quickly fell asleep.

Gwen had been on her shift for two hours when Cyrus woke up. Both of them looked exhausted, but Cyrus looked the worse for wear. The fire had got low, and the night was strangely quiet.

The two stared at each other for some time. Finally, Cyrus broke the silence. "I was wrong," he admitted. Gwen gave him a small smile. She knew he'd never really apologize.

"It's okay," she told him. Cyrus looked down at his side.

"Thank you for healing me," he said.

"Don't mention it," Gwen told him. "You'd better get back to sleep. You look horrible." Cyrus gave her a small smile and rolled back over.


End file.
